


Each Day I Love You More

by PrimisUltimis



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Crushes, F/M, Flash Forward, Idiots in Love, Post-Canon, Ren/Ann, RyuKoto - Freeform, Ryuji/Makoto, ShuAnn, Small bit of YusuHaru, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28981179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrimisUltimis/pseuds/PrimisUltimis
Summary: With the date of Ren and Ann's wedding aproaching, Ryuji finally decides to tell his best friend about feelings he has for a certain brunette. While Makoto looks to Ann for advice on how to get a certain dyed blond to take a hint.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Takamaki Ann, Niijima Makoto/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	1. Confession of the Best Man

“Okay so let me get this straight. You think, THINK, you like Makoto in a romantic way?”

The dyed blond look back nervously at his raven-haired friend sitting across from him in one of the booths at LeBlanc café. It was just supposed to be basic meeting about the wedding itself and what day they would be trying and buying their suits, but he just couldn’t help himself.

“I mean…yeah kind of…maybe? Okay no, I don’t think I like her man, I really like her, and I feel like I’ve known it for a while now.”

Ryuji finally felt comfortable telling his best friend about the feelings he had been trying to keep hidden for a while now but knew that he could trust Ren with this kind of information.

“So how long is a while?” Ren leaned back in his booth not looking too surprised.

“About a year now? Maybe just over?” Ryuji said slightly squirming in his seat, his nerves getting the better of him.

Ren looked at Ryuji giving him a slight smile “If it makes you feel any better I kind of had a suspicion for a few months now.”

“FOR REAL?!”

“Well yeah, I mean you always tend to make slight looks at her, when ever you see her you instantly brighten up and if you haven’t noticed you always tend to bring her up in conversations.”

Ryuji leaned back, taking a sip of his hot chocolate, relaxing but still being wary of how much his best friend really knows.

Ren looked down at his phone and sent a quick text, “If it makes you feel any better, I think she feels the same about you.”

“Are you serious?!?” Ryuji yelled back while coughing up the hot chocolate he attempted to drink.

“You aren’t messing with me right now are you RenRen? She feels the same?!”

“I said I THINK Ryuji, I mean if you really want to know you can always ask her.” Ren replied laughing slightly at his best friends’ reaction.

Ryuji immediately started shaking his head in response “No way bro, I mean what if she doesn’t and I’m just left there looking like an idiot!”

“Look Ryuji, you’re a great guy, you’re my best friend and honestly? You’ll never know unless you ask her.” Ren said with sincerity, hoping that this would help his best friend gain the confidence needed to follow his heart.

Ryuji however pointed out something that Ren had overlooked “That’s easy for you to say man! You didn’t have to confess how you felt you were the one who got confessed to!”

He did have a point, Ren didn’t have to be the one to express how he felt to his now fiancé, instead Ann had confessed to him and while Ren felt the same way and was building up the courage to do the exact same thing, he remembered just how much relief he felt on that day 4 years ago.

_“I guess…I’m alone again, huh…?”_

The pain in Ann’s voice, the tears in her eyes and knowing that this was the hardest moment of her life, saying goodbye to her best friend, Ren just couldn’t stand to see it. Immediately Ren’s body reacted and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her.

 _“Ann…you have me.”_ Holding her tight Ren wasn’t even sure if she liked him the way he liked her but at that moment it didn’t matter, he just wanted to help ease her pain.

_“Ren…Ren…I love you.”_

Hearing those words, Ren’s mind went blank, everything he planned to say was gone and instead one thought just kept racing through his mind ‘She loves me’. Part of him wasn’t even sure if she actually just said that, and as it turns out Ann wasn’t sure either.

_“W-wait, what did I just say!?”_

Ren looked at her, not sure if he should tell her that he didn’t hear her or if he should take the chance and admit that she just said that she loved him.

 _“You said I love you.”_ Ren replied as he stood there as nonchalantly as possible but still seeming nervous.

 _“I-I said what!?”_ She stepped back looking at him with a mixture of shock and anxiousness. She had been so careful with her feelings at that point, trying to subtly give him a hint that she started to see him as more than a friend, but with her secret revealed, by her own fault as it turned out, Ann decided to take control and finally admit her feeling to herself but more importantly to Ren.

_“I…I mean…yeah I said it! And I meant it too! I really love you! Like REALLY, really!”_

Both stood there, in shock with neither knowing what to do now that feelings were out in the open. Ren decided that he would show Ann just how much he loved her too, pushing down all the nerves he had and mustering as much courage inside himself as he could find he moved forward and suddenly his lips found hers.

Ann couldn’t believe what was happening, the boy she loved, the boy she fights side by side with loved her too, she closed her eyes, and her arms found his shoulders, in that moment, just for a small amount of time the pain was gone, and love had taken its place.

“Hello? RenRen? Earth to Ren?”

The snap of Ryuji’s fingers in his face suddenly brought Ren back to LeBlanc. Thinking back to that day, maybe Ren did know how Ryuji was feeling, and knew that to someone who is emotionally invested it would be a risk to see if there was anything romantic there. Ren looked at his phone and saw a response to his earlier text.

“Okay man, I kind of get where you’re coming from. How about this Yusuke and Yuuki are on their way to discuss everything, how about we leave all the romantic talk here and we come back to it some other time?”

“Thanks bro, I’d really appreciate that, but yeah let’s just leave it at that for now.” Relief flooded Ryuji, he knew that telling Ren wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world after all, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves had always been there for Ryuji so why wouldn’t he be there now.

Instead, he set his mind on helping Ren prepare for his upcoming wedding, but deep down he knew that sooner rather than later Makoto would cloud his thoughts, and while it may cause him a problem with focusing on the task at hand it’s something he never seemed to mind.

**RA: How are thing’s going with your dress fittings? Only Ryuji’s here rn and it looks like you were right about him.**

Ann looked up from her phone with glee, while she was always happy to receive a text from her fiancé, she was even more excited as the text he just sent allowed her to slowly start playing match maker with two of her friends.

She was currently in a bridal shop in Tokyo with her maid of honour and bridesmaids, sitting there with an abundance of sweets watching her friends laugh and discuss their plans for the wedding she slowly started to form an idea on how she wanted to move forward with things.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to be having cake while trying on dresses Ann? Dresses that you don’t actually own? What if one of them gets a stain?” the brunette said with a slightly cautious tone.

“Don’t worry Makoto, I’m being extra careful whenever I’m trying a dress, besides why would I want to spill any of the cake Haru brought? It’s amazing!”

“Thank you! And not to worry Mako-chan I’m sure all of us are taking exceptionally good care of all the dresses and where we leave our plates. Isn’t that right Futaba?” While the start of her words seemed laced with sugar the final words seemed to have an underlined warning directed to certain well know former shut in.

“Okay! Okay. I’ll use the fork, but only because I wanted to!” Futaba responded while begrudgingly picking up her fork, while the metaverse may no longer exist she was still made very aware of the fact that the heiress was not someone she wanted to agitate, even if she was her friend.

“So, what coloured dresses will we be wearing? Knowing you it will most likely be a Red or pink?” Shiho said looking at her long-time friend.

Ann looked back at her made of honour and gave her a sarcastic laugh.

“Ha ha ha…. you’ll be wearing red. So…here’s the dress I’ve found! And the best part there’s one ready for each of you!” while her laugh seemed like she was ready to one up Shiho, the one in which she told her bridesmaids the colour just seemed to admit defeat but was ready to make sure her friends still had to submit to her dress suggestion.

“Ann these look lovely!” Out of the four of them Haru seemed most excited to try on the dress with Futaba being on the opposite end of reactions.

“Do I have to? I mean we just ate all that cake and now asking us to get changed just to try on a dress is just cruel!”

Makoto calmly looked at Futaba and took a tone that Futaba knew was a mixture of sarcastic disappointment and encouragement.

“Come on Futaba, I think this will look great on you! Besides Ann chose these dresses for all of us for her day, you wouldn’t want to disappoint her would you?”

Futaba immediately looked at Ann, who if on que had started pouting and making her eyes seem watery and ready to burst.

“That not fair and you know it! You’re lucky I like you guys so much; you and Ren owe me big time for this!”

“I’m sure Ren can make it up to you with a gift from Akihabara!” The blonde bride to be yelled back at the feisty redhead, quickly looking down at her phone, typing a quick response.

**AT: Things are going well! I’ve got the girls trying their dress now and I’m pretty sure I know which dress I want** **< 3.**

**AT: And really?! That’s amazing! I know she feels the same way!**

The four bridesmaids walked out in their dresses, Ann looked at them all and immediately knew that she had found the perfect fit for them all.

“You all look amazing!" The bride to be couldn't conatin her excitedment looking at her bridesmaids modeling their dresses, "And on the actual day, you’ll all look absolutely stunning!”

“Thank you Ann, I must admit your modelling talents seem to have helped in your decision making.” A compliment like that for Makoto was new, she hadn’t really focused on her appearance as much as other women did her age.

Sure, she looked beautiful, however she didn’t wear feel the need to spend hours on makeup, she had let her hair grow since her days at Shujin, allowing it to touch her shoulders but she never seemed to style it, always keeping it down with her braided hair band.

“How’s Ren doing? Does he know that he owes me? Does he know that he owes me something from Akihabara?” Futaba couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity and excitement, the idea of a gift from Ren was exciting but a gift from Akihabara was even more so.

“He’s doing well, right now it’s just him and Ryuji so it’s nothing too out of control, I think they’re setting up a day to get their suits.”

Ann immediately shifted her gaze to the brunette to see her reaction and almost as if on que, Makoto’s cheeks started to shade into a rose colour. She knew there was something there so she figured she may as well see just how much of a mutual attraction there was.

Makoto’s mind immediately went to the thought of Ryuji wearing a fitted suit and standing there proud as his two friends took the biggest step of their lives. She couldn’t help but feel her face start to heat up at the thought of how well he would look on the day. Once she came too she immediately saw the look Ann was giving her.

A knowing look, a look to say that she knew who Makoto was thinking about. Makoto quickly found her phone and sent Ann a message.

**MN: Can we talk after this, and yes before you ask it is about a certain someone.**

Ann looked up from her phone with a joyful smile, Makoto stood their nerve wracked until Ann nodded her head and sent a message back.

**AT: Sure! Don’t worry, I won’t tell Ryuji about your crush ;)**

Makoto suddenly felt her face grow hotter; she knew. Ann knew about her crush on Ryuji. And if she knew then that meant…he might know too.


	2. Responding to Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto sits with Ann after a dress fitting to discuss her feelings about a certain blond friend, while Ann hopes to give Makoto advice to insipre her to take control and get the man she loves.

Inviting Ann to take a seat in her one-bedroom apartment Makoto goes to get each a glass of water for the pair before their discussion. Feeling the anxiety of the situation starting to rise she beings to think of what to say to try and begin their talk without spilling everything immediately.

“Makoto you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, or would you prefer it if I started things?” Ann said hoping to ease her friend’s anticipation.

“Yes! I mean, thank you Ann, I’d be incredibly grateful for that.”

“Okay, so…you like Ryuji, right?”

The outright nature of Ann’s statement caused Makoto to jerk slightly, knocking over one of the glasses. So much for not spilling everything.

“Oh! I’m sorry Makoto! Here I’ll get some paper towels and clean this!” Ann couldn’t help but feel guilty due to Makoto’s reaction, she thought that just get the obvious fact out would help her deal with her feelings, evidently it did not.

“No that’s ok, it’s my fault anyway.” The brunette walked regretfully to her kitchen, ripping a sheet of paper towel she started to clean the spilt water. She couldn’t help but start to feel embarrassed, such an over reaction to such a simple question, yet this wasn’t new to Makoto. Romantic relations had never been her strongest suit but to react like this over a simple crush? She couldn’t help but feel ridiculous.

Heading back to her kitchen after finishing cleaning Makoto took a deep breath, looking down and finally swallowing her pride.

“Yes.” She said, loud enough so Ann would hear but soft enough so she wouldn’t ask her to clarify. However, Makoto should’ve realised that after knowing Ann for 4 years a simple ‘yes’ wouldn’t satisfy the blonde’s need for an answer.

“Hmmm? Did you say something Makoto? I didn’t really hear anything.”

“I said yes okay?! I like Ryuji! There! I’ve said it!” Answering louder than she would’ve liked Makoto couldn’t help but let frustration overtake her. Not frustration at Ann, no this was frustration at herself. Always efficient and confident, the younger Niijima sister took pride in following in the footsteps on her former prosecutor now lawyer sister Sae, but her feelings? They controlled Makoto and caused irrationality that she wasn’t used to.

” I’m sorry Ann, I didn’t expect to sound that aggressive. I just…I’m sorry again, I’m not used to this. Romance and crushes, taking this all seriously is new to me.”

Ann looked at Makoto, with a mixture of understanding with a small amount of confusion.

“It’s ok Makoto, it’s why I’m here to talk! I want to help you out, and hopefully help you go out. But wait, you’re not used to having a crush?”

A large amount of embarrassment started to creep its way back into Makoto.

“I mean…this isn’t the first crush I’ve had, but this one just seems so much more serious now.”

“Oh ok, sooooo who was your first crush?” Ann asked giddily, wanted to know just who the first person was to catch Makoto’s eye.

“Oh. Um, I’m not really sure that’s appropriate right now.” While the embarrassment was still there, a small amount of guilt had found its way in Makoto, trying to change the subject she made it seem like the topic was getting a bit too private but deep down she knew Ann, and she knew that the blonde model wouldn’t stop poking the question until she got an answer.

“Whaaat?! Come on it can’t be that bad can it? Was it Yusuke? What about Akechi? That one I can understand not being appropriate after everything that happened but its not like I’ll tell anyone.”

Knowing she wouldn’t stop until she got her answer Makoto gave her a simple response, a response that wouldn’t outright give her an answer but allow Ann to easily figure it out.

“It wasn’t either of them.” She said perfectly still but looking down at her hands to prevent her friend from seeing just how red her face had gotten.

“Okay, so if you have a crush on Ryuji now, and you didn’t have feelings for Yusuke or Akechi then that means that it must have…been…Ren…” The blond sat there not only feeling the embarrassment radiating off Makoto but beginning to feel her own gradually finding its way to her.

The two sat in silence for a moment, Makoto still looking at her hands in her lap, refusing to let Ann see her face while the blonde sat her holding her hand to her mouth while her face began to take a more scarlet colour.

“You know you’re right it isn’t that appropriate haha! I think we’ve gotten off track of what’s really important here and that’s you and Ryuji!”

While she regretted poking Makoto to get an answer, she didn’t want her friend to feel guilty about feelings she had as a teenager.

“Makoto it’s okay, I’m not mad at you. It was a long time ago, we were some of your first friends and he was so helpful to everyone I mean, trust me I think I understand better than anyone.”

Makoto looked at her friend and saw no maliciousness on her face, no anger, only understanding and care.

“I’m sorry Ann, but I’m over him I promise! It was just dumb feelings I had as a teenager! I swear!”

“Dumb feelings that are now for Ryuji?” She responded with a slight smirk.

Makoto sighed; she knew the only way to get through this was forward so she may as well start moving that way.

“About a year ago, I went to the gym and I saw Ryuji there working. He was with a guy who was around 17 or 18 and seemed to have his ankle heavily taped. After they were done, I went to him and asked him about it out of curiosity. He told me that he had suffered a broken ankle and while he was able to start training again, he was scared.”

Ann looked at Makoto, she didn’t see a girl nervous about what to say anymore, instead she saw a woman, a confident woman describing someone who had caught her eye.

“He told me that the gym’s manager had offered him a personal trainer to help him get back into things. Ryuji immediately accepted and sat him down to talk, telling him about his own injury and what he had to do to overcome it.” She couldn’t help but feel warm inside when talking about Ryuji, but this was different this wasn’t just a simple crush, it was passion.

“After all this time he still wants to help people, he went through so much pain and he uses it to make sure that others are able to get back up from their lows. He’s just…. he’s just him.”

Makoto sat there, a slight blush on her face, a loving smile having brightened her features. Ann sat there, knowing the emotions Makoto was feeling all too well.

“And that’s when you started feeling things for him?”

“Well…yes but…part of me feels like these feelings have always been there, I just didn’t know how to address them at the time.”

She then recounted every small moment the two had shared over the years, from their time at Shujin as members of the Phantom Thieves to their morning runs over the past few weeks. The more she spoke, the easier it was. She truly felt happy talking about the moments she was able to share with him.

“Well have you ever thought about telling him that you feel this way. Maybe you could go on a breakfast date after your run?” Ann asked with hope, praying that it would be this easy and that everything would work out with one relatively simple, if not awkward, talk. But of course, things were never that simple.

“What?! No! Of course not! I mean it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…I don’t think he’d be interested. He’s the laid-back personal trainer, while I’m the up tight know it all training to become a police commissioner.”

Ann couldn’t help but see the disappointment in her friend’s face, she honestly believed that that’s how Ryuji and the rest of her friends saw her, she couldn’t allow that.

“Makoto that’s not who you are! You’re a strong, beautiful woman who is going to make a difference and help innocent people for the better! None of us see you like you described no one’s perfect. Ren’s a smart ass, I’m an air head, Futaba had no filter, Morgana won’t ever accept the fact that he’s a cat, Haru can be a bit scary at times and Yusuke…well he’s just Yusuke.”

The two women couldn’t help but laugh at Ann’s description of each former member of the Phantom Thieves, before continuing with their discussion.

“The point I’m trying to make is that we all see you differently, and if Ryuji didn’t care about you then he wouldn’t go on morning runs with you. He genuinely cares about you Makoto, more than you realise.”

“Thank you Ann, that really helps to hear.” She couldn’t help but tear up, hearing that no matter what happens she still had a family with the Thieves was what she needed at this time. But knowing that her feelings may not be as one sided gave Makoto hope, that maybe there was something between her and Ryuji.

The two hugged, both shedding tears after an emotional discussion but both knowing that this was what Makoto needed. Just as Ann was preparing to leave Makoto couldn’t help but have her hands fidget as she asked one last question.

“Ann…by any chance, does Ren know about my feelings for Ryuji?”

“Oh…well truthfully? I haven’t said anything to him, but I do think he has his suspicions.”

“Right okay. Do you think that you could keep this between us for now?” Makoto asked, he tone laced with a small amount of pleading.

“Don’t worry I won’t tell him a thing; your secret is safe with me! Both of them.” Ann responded adding a knowing wink at the end.

“Know I can easily see why you two are made for each other, I’ll talk to you later Ann.” She sighed as she walked Ann out. Closing the door Makoto turned around and immediately found her lounge and sat. She just confessed her feelings, and it felt right. Knowing that she could admit her feelings for Ryuji to Ann gave her hope that she could admit them face to face with him.

She grabbed her phone and sent a text, typing with determination.

**MN: Are you still good for tomorrow’s morning run?  
RS: Yeah! Of course! Why? Are you?**

**MN: Yes! Just wanted to make sure, I’ll see you then!**

It turns out that confessing her feelings to Ryuji in comparison to telling Ann about them would be a lot more difficult than she thought.

Ann walked into the apartment she shared with her fiancé; the smell of roasted vegetables filled the air as she saw Ren working in the kitchen. Trying to be as quiet as possible she started sneaking up hoping to catch him off guard and surprise him. Just as she was about to wrap his arms around him and claim victory, she found herself in a hug of his own with his lips pecking her forehead with a kiss.

“Welcome home, how did things go?”

“They went well! We found all the dresses and I had a good talk with Makoto, it would’ve been better if I was able to surprise you!” She said with a slight pout hoping to try and guilt trip him into another kiss.

Ren couldn’t help but laugh as he wrapped his arms around her waist with Ann wrapping hers around his neck bringing him into a passionate kiss. As the two separated she looked at him, staring in his eyes feeling her heart swell with love.

“Hey”

“Hey” she didn’t have a thought going through her head other than how happy she was at this moment.

“As much as I’d love to stay like this, I did just finish dinner. So how about we have that then we can continue later?”

“With a plan like that Ren Amamiya you remind me why I agreed to marry you.” She responded causing both to start laughing.

As the two sat on their couch eating, Ann rested her legs on Ren’s lap asking him how his meeting with his groomsmen went.

“We’ll be having suit fittings next week, so everyone’s made sure to keep that day free, Yusuke keeps asking about a portrait though.”

“Really? He’s still going on about that. What did he ask this time?”

While Ann and Ren appreciated Yusuke’s art, they even had his painting ‘Desire and Hope’ in their living room, they still couldn’t help but feel uneasy with the artists requests.

“Well, he figured that since we didn’t want to be painted nude together, or in our underwear, he suggested swimwear.”

“Why do we have to be so exposed? Why couldn’t it be a formal style?” Ann responded sounding amused, they did love having Yusuke as their friend but did understand that at times he was unusual with his art requests.

“I did tell him that and he just responded back ‘I see, so a formal style works best’, So I’m not even sure what he’s planning anymore.” A small chuckle escaped Ren as he imitated Yusuke as best as he could, it was all the better once his fiancé started laughing at his impression of their friend.

Once their meal was finished and bowls and cutlery were cleaned, they sat back on the couch, huddled together just feeling each other’s warmth.

“How did things go with Makoto? Were you right about her feeling the same?”

“Things went well, we had a long chat that got a bit emotional at times but in the end, everything seems to be okay.”

Ren looked at Ann with anticipation and disappointment.

“That’s it? You’re not going to tell your fiancé anything else?” He asked her, trying to play the guilt card hoping he might get something.

“Yep! That’s it! I know what you’re trying Ren and it won’t work.” She told him lovingly while hugging his arm and pushing her chest into him “Now I believe I was promised that we would be continuing something after dinner?”

She stood and dragged Ren up with her towards their bedroom, a loving look on her face, as Ren shook his head chuckling at her response.

“You know, I know what you’re trying right?”

“Yeah…. buuuut I’m fairly sure this will work out for both of us.” She told him with a wink, and she sat him on their bed and took her shirt off in front of him.

Ren couldn’t help but look at his fiancé and feel like he’s the luckiest man in the world.

“Yeah, it definitely will.”

His lips met hers and they soon found themselves lost in a night of passion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quite sure where I'll be taking this, I have an outline but I'm just making up the bulk as I go along. Also shoutout to the RyuKoto discord server. Once again any constructive criticism is appriciated, thank you for reading.


	3. Heavy Weights, Heavier Feelings

Ren woke up to the sound of his phone alerting him to new messages he’s received, while still half asleep he felt a warmth on his body. Looking down he saw the sleeping form of his fiancé resting her head on his chest as she clutched the sheets of their bed to her chest, covering both hers and Ren’s naked bodies, her hair cascading down her shoulders onto his chest and her back. He reached for his phone making sure not to disturb Ann, after all he couldn’t help but look at how amazing she looked lying there with her body wrapped around his and his arm around her waist. Why accidentally ruin such a beautiful sight. After getting his phone he opened it to see that the time had just clocked over to 8:30 in the morning…and that he had 3 text messages from Ryuji that arrived just over 5 minutes ago.

**RS: DUDE I NEED TO TALK TO YOU ASAP!!!!**

**RS: SOMETHING HAPPENED WITH MAKOTO!!!!**

**RS: EMERGERGENCY GYM SESH 9:15!!!!!!**

Placing his phone down he sighed, he had to go help Ryuji with whatever new problem he thought he created but at the same time he really didn’t want to leave his bed. Feeling the blonde start to stir he decided to kiss her forehead and let her wake up feeling warm and loved. Ann started to open her eyes, immediately seeing the face of her fiancé smiling down at her, feeling his arm wrapped around her and his heartbeat meeting the rhythm of hers.

“Morning Panther, sleep well?”

“After a night like that? How couldn’t I.” Ann responded as she moved up closer to Ren, nuzzling her face towards his neck, kissing his jawline. She couldn’t help but giggle at Ren using name she chose to use during their days as the Phantom Thieves, back then it was a way of staying safe, now it was a way to show their love for each other.

“So, any plans for today Joker?” She asked keeping her body pressed against him.

“Well Ryuji messaged me about an ‘emergency gym sesh’ as he put it in about 40 minutes, apparently he missed something up.”

“Huh, the gym? That’s odd, I thought he was running this morning with Makoto?”

“He usually starts running at about 7am anyway, so I’m not sure why….” Ren suddenly stopped his sentence, piecing all the texts together.

“Ren? Joker? You still there darling?” Ann asked waving her hand in front of his face, hoping to snap him back to reality.

“Hmmm? Yeah sorry. I think something might’ve done something during their run today, so I guess I’ll need to go calm him down.”

“Oh, okay then, would you happen to have time to give your fiancé a little more love before you go?” Ann sat up still clutching the sheets around her chest, with a hopeful yet appealing look in her eyes.

Ren couldn’t help but slightly chuckle and give Ann a quick peck on the lips “I didn’t give you enough last night?”

“Mmmmmnope you did! But a little more never hurts.” Looking back at her she couldn’t help but finish with a wink.

“You know I’d love to kitty, but I don’t want to be late.” Ren replied moving to the edge of the bed, starting to stand up.

“You sure? We can always try to be quick Joker?” Ann said as she began to slide the sheets down, exposing her bare chest to Ren, with the hopeful look in her eyes now being replaced with lust.

“You know…quick works, quick works very well Panther.” Ren responded as he got back into bed and found his lips meeting hers once again.

Ryuji stood outside the protein lovers’ gym in Shibuya looking at his watch, 9:55, while did get a text from Ren letting him know he’d be late he still couldn’t shake the nerves out from this morning. Looking up he saw a shaggy haired man jogging towards him, dressed in shorts and a tank top.

“Sorry I’m late Ryuji, slept in a bit later than usual and just messaged you when I woke up.” Ren said while rubbing the back of his neck.

“No problem man, I really appreciate you coming here anyway. I think I may have messed up big time this morning!”

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think it is, let’s go in and we can talk about it more.” Ren entered the gym first with Ryuji right behind, Ryuji took notice at what seemed to be red lines that were just under Ren’s shoulders and seemed to go down further.

 _“Right, he ‘slept in’”_ Ryuji thought to himself, supressing a laugh, understanding completely.

After a brief 20 minute warm up the two made their way to the weight bench, with Ren being the first to start his bench presses while Ryuji spots him. The two continued to complete reps until Ren decided to ask Ryuji about his morning to try and start solving his supposed problem.

“How was your run this morning.” Ren asked, with a slight strain in his voice as he continued his rep.

“Huh? Oh well I mean it was good, a run always helps me start my day.”

“That’s not what I mean Ryuji.” Ren knew that Ryuji had purposely tried to avoid the subject of a certain brunette police commissioner in training who usually joined him.

“I meant how did things go with Makoto. Did you tell her, your texts seemed like you were, ngh, panicking?”

Ren, sat up having finished his final rep, wiping the bench off with his towel so Ryuji could finish his final rep while Ren spotted for him.

“I didn’t say anything man, like I wanted to but to but...I just didn’t know what to say.”

“Then what happened? From the sounds of things it didn’t seem like anything went wrong?” Looking at him with a confused expression as Ryuji finished the last of his reps it wasn’t making sense to Ren, how could he mess things up while not telling her?

Ryuji walked towards Inokashira park, wondering if Makoto would be there or if he’d be running alone. His watch read 7:00am, while the two had decided to meet up at 7:15 Ryuji wanted to arrive early hoping to be there and ready to welcome Makoto. Wearing his yellow shorts and a red tank top, he was ready to get his heart pounding in the morning, but he knew that with Makoto there, it would be pound in more ways than one. As started entering the park he looked around, trying to find the brunette in her usual attire of black tights and a grey sleeveless hoodie, instead what he saw had him speechless and frozen. Makoto stood there waiting for Ryuji, not in her usual gear instead deciding to wear a light blue sports bra and matching running shorts and while she looked amazing, scratch that, she looked gorgeous she couldn’t help but notice a slight blush on her face. She started looking towards his direction, waving to get his attention. Ryuji kept staring in awe at the beautiful woman in front of him.

“…ji?..” She looked like something out of a dream, just a picture of perfection.

“Ryuj…….re you….re?” _‘How could he possibly have a chance with her, he needed more time, he had to think of what to say, he had to get rid of his nerves, he needed to stop overthing, he needed to stop telling himself what he needed to do in his head while she stood right in front of him!’_

Suddenly a snap of her fingers in front of his face brought him back to his senses and made him realise that he had been staring at her…the entire time.

“Are you okay Ryuji? We can always schedule another time if you’re not well?”

“Wha? Nope! No, I’m good thanks Makoto! Haha sorry I was thinking about someone THING! Thinking about something sorry.” It just sort of slipped out, he couldn’t think straight. Seeing her like this, it felt like he was dreaming.

“Oh…well I hope everything good then, are you ready to start running with me?” She couldn’t help but ask with the blush on her face growing larger and brighter. She couldn’t help but move part of her hair behind her ear hoping that he would take notice of her look.

“Huh? Oh yeah, no problem! Let’s get started with some stretching then we get going!” Once again snaping himself out a daydream, the two started their run together, while it wasn’t anything romantic it was still something for the two of them to enjoy together.

Ryuji couldn’t help but take quick glances at Makoto as she stretched, seeing just how toned and fit she was. While Ryuji had learned to not make a large fuss on appearances, he couldn’t help but continue to look at her in awe. He was thankful that it seemed that she hadn’t realised what he was doing, unfortunately he also hadn’t realised that she was doing the same to him. Makoto looked at Ryuji and took notice of how much he had changed since their days at Shujin, no longer standing and walking hunched, Ryuji stood proud and ready for anything life would throw at him and she admired that. She also slightly gave in to her desires to acknowledge just how well the bottled blond looked with a bit more muscle. As the two finished their stretching the looked at each other and were just about to set off on their run.

“Hey Makoto?”

“Hmmm? Yes Ryuji?”

“I uh... just wanted to say that…what you’re wearing…it um…looks good on you.”

Makoto felt her face heat. He complimented her, he actually complimented her! Maybe there actually could be something between them after all. She made a quick mental note to thank Ann for her sporting wear recommendations from a few weeks ago.

“Oh…really? Th-thank you Ryuji”. While she felt happy with the compliment she just received, Ryuji started to panic.

 _“What if she thinks I’m just some sort of perv who’s only interested in her body! That’s so much worse!”_ He felt like he need to fix the situation and fix the tension between them. Unfortunately for Ryuji, this was awkward tension.

“Y-yeah, they look like they’d be great to work out in! A great choice for training, maybe I should get something like that! I mean for guys! Why would I wear that? Not that it doesn’t look good on you! I mean it looks good; you look good too! What I meant was…let go!” Ryuji decided to do what he loved and that was run.

“Ryuji wait!” Makoto took off after him, while the blond was fast, Makoto had endurance and now had a goal to catch him and speak with him, was it just the outfit he was interested in? Was it her? Was it just her body? She knew Ryuji and knew that he wouldn’t be that shallow, she just wanted to know if he genuinely liked how she looked today and to find that out, she had to catch him.

Eventually she caught up with him, running side by side she saw how focused he was and decided to let him focus on finishing his run. While she didn’t want to disturb him, she couldn’t help but look at him with a slight amount of awe. The dedication he had to running after all these years and everything he went through earned him Makoto’s admiration, not to mention her glances when she had the time. The two finished their run, they had been running on and off for an hour now.

“I’m really impressed Ryuji; it seems that after all these years you’re just as fast as you’ve ever been, and you don’t have any pain so its good to see you took rehab seriously.”

Ryuji rubbed the back of his head after the comment, from anyone else it would earn the response of a simple ‘Thanks’ but Makoto wasn’t just anyone else.

“You’re the impressive one Makoto, you don’t even train to run you just do it casually and you were keeping up nearly the whole time! You’re seriously amazing!”

Makoto blushed, even if he didn’t mean it in the way she hoped to him at this moment, she was amazing. She couldn’t help but feel a bit daring and try to acknowledge his initial reaction to her running gear this morning.

“Thanks Ryuji, I’m glad you think that…I’m also glad you like my gear, it definitely made it easier to keep up with you.” Feeling a slight amount of embarrassment at how her statement came out she couldn’t help but try to correct herself just in case.

“Keep up with your running! I mean you’re a fast runner and it helped me stay comfortable so I could focus on catching up.”

“N-no problem, it’s good that you were wearing something like that. If it makes you comfortable, I mean! That’s important for running I mean I should know right?” He followed it up with a nervous laugh.

Both stood there, Ryuji rubbing the back of his head and Makoto fidgeting with her hands. Both could feel the awkwardness but neither knew what to do, of course they knew what they wanted to do but were hoping that the other would take initiative reducing the pressure on themselves.

“So, Makoto….”

“Yes Ryuji?”

“I was wondering, I mean if its no trouble to you…” his thoughts were all over the place, he wasn’t sure how he could do this. He wasn’t sure if he could do this, he needed time, just a little more time.

“Did you want to maybe make this a regular thing? The running I meant! Did you want to keep running with me maybe 3 times a week?”

_“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You should’ve asked her out! Now she’ll think we’re a creep who only wants to see her dressed like that and she won’t want to even see us or let alone hang out with us so there goes all hope of…”_

“I’d like that very much Ryuji.”

He stared at her in disbelief, he was looking down and rubbing her arm. It seemed like her face had turned a shade of pink, but she still wanted to run with him. She still wanted to see him! He still had a chance!

“T-that’s great! Would tomorrow w-work for you?”

“I’m a bit busy tomorrow but what about the day after that?”

“Yeah! Absolutely! I’ll see you then!” Ryuji couldn’t help but express his excitement.

“Well…I’ll see you then Ryuji, I really enjoyed today. It was fun.” She looked up at him with a slight smile and a slight blush on her face, she decided she would take some initiative and hope it would make things clearer for the two.

She leaned forward on her toes and gave his check a quick peck of her lips. As she leaned back, the reality of what she did just hit her. She just kissed Ryuji. Sure, it was his cheek, but it was still her taking the initiative to want to kiss him that caused this, and she knew it. She knew it so well that she could feel her face heating up and knew that he was beginning to turn a shade of crimson. She immediately turned and started walking at a brisk pace yelling one final goodbye, albeit very quickly, to the stunned blond.

“Byeryujiillseeyousoon!” She wanted it to come out somewhat coherent but right now her mind wasn’t thinking logically, it was in an emotional overload.

Ryuji stood there stunned. Did that just happen? He wasn’t imagining things, was he? Slowly raised his hand and touched his cheek, he could still feel the quick touch of her lips. Suddenly he took off in a sprint with his phone out and sent a text, followed by another, then one more. He kept running in the direction of the protein lover’s gym in Shibuya.

Ren stared at Ryuji; entertained at how much his friend was overthinking the situation.

“Okay so let me check if I’ve got this right? You arrived early and when you saw her you just stared at her? Then you panicked that she’d think you were a perv, so you started running only for her to keep up with you? After that you agreed to keep running?”

“Uhhh yeah bro that’s almost all of it.” He seemed to be keeping his voice down, almost trying to contain his emotions at the morning he had. But Ren could sense this.

“Then she kissed you.” Ren stated with the same cocky grin many of his friends had come to know so well.

“Keep it down man! Yeah, she kissed me, it was quick and, on my cheek, but its still something right?!” Ryuji quickly answered hoping that he’d get a straight answer from his best friend.

“Usually yeah, it’s something. It doesn’t seem like anything went wrong Ryuji, you did well today. I mean yeah you didn’t ask her out on an actual date but still. I think if you look at this like a pool you’ve just started to get out of the shallow end and now, you’re slowly making your way to the deep end.” Ren tried to calm his best man down but had a feeling that this wouldn’t help in the way he thought it would, unfortunately he was once again correct.

“Wait its like a pool?! You’re saying I could drown RenRen?! I could mess up that bad!? Oh man I knew I messed up when I was staring at her, but I couldn’t help it! She just looked so…. just…. ughhhhhhhhh! Why is this so complicated?!” Ryuji couldn’t help but groan out loud, his frustration at himself finally getting the better of him.

“Ryuji you remember the day we met right?”

Ryuji looked at Ren confused, of course he remembered. How could he forget, it was the day the learned about the metaverse and the day Ren saved Ryuji’s life beginning a lifelong friendship that only grew over the course of that year.

“Just before I met you, I was under covers trying to get out of the rain. That was the first day that I ever saw Ann, and she looked…perfect. I wanted to say something to her but all I did was just stare at her and she wasn’t offended, she didn’t tell me off, she just smiled at me. That moment is one of the most important in my life Ryuji, it was the first time I ever saw the woman I wanted to marry, so don’t panic about your situation, it’s not as bad as you think.”

Ren felt proud, he remembered how he felt at that time, alone with the world against him and she was the first person to just see him for who he was and not react like he wasn’t worth their time. Instead, she just smiled. He looked at Ryuji to see a grin appear on his face, was it wasn’t a calming grin, it was the beginning of a laughing grin.

“That was the first time you met her bro!? Hahaha! Like you didn’t say anything!? Oh man! Like I know I might’ve messed up with Makoto today, but it wasn’t the first time I met her! For Ann it’s gotta be like some weird guy just stared at her, and you had those fake glasses at the time! You probably would’ve looked even creepier!”

Ryuji started laughing heavily, Ren couldn’t help but smile back him and chuckling. He remembered talking to Ann about that moment after they started dating and that she didn’t see him as a creep, just as someone who was a bit weird, but it was nice to have someone just stare at her in awe with no lust or negative desires behind their eyes.

“I’m glad you think it’s funny Ryuji. Are you feeling better now?” Ren asked with a smile, he found it entertaining that he thought it was as funny as he did but wanted to make sure that he was feeling relaxed after everything he told him.

“Yeah man, I’m feeling much better! Oh, wow that’s amazing! You probably shouldn’t have told me that RenRen, that’s going in my speech at the reception! See you later bro!” Ryuji said as he walked toward the train station waving goodbye to Ren while still supressing his laughter.

Ren watched Ryuji walk away and started to piece together a plan. Compared to their Phantom Thief days, what he had planned would be much easier to set up and wouldn’t require him to pull it off, pulling out his phone he sent a text to his fiancé.

**RA: You still in bed kitty?**

**AT: Yep! Kind of hoping my handsome fiancé will bring me some breakfast in bed.**

**RA: It’s 10:30**

**AT: Brunch then (** **◕** **‿‿** **◕)**

**RA: Haha I’ll bring you something sweet**

**AT: YAYYY!!!** **(** **っ** **˘** **ڡ˘ς)**

**RA: By any chance would you be interested if we had dinner next week and invited Ryuji and Makoto?**

**AT: Are they together?!?!**

**RA: Not yet, but from the sound of things they want to be, they just need a small nudge**

**AT: Okay then! I’ll talk to Makoto about it, that leaves Ryuji to you.**

**AT: See you soon! <3**

Ren put away his phone and headed for the crepe stand to get his blushing bride to be the brunch she wanted to enjoy in bed. He opened his message chat to Ryuji and sent a quick message explaining the dinner they were planning.

_“Welcome to the deep end bro.”_


	4. The Deep End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Ren's talk with Ryuji, he let's Ann talk with Makoto and make a plan that will hopefully bring the two closer together.

Makoto couldn’t help but wonder how she got into this situation. It was supposed to be a simple dinner out with Ryuji, Ren and Ann but somehow, in what seemed to be a ‘coincidence’, the soon to be married couple had to meet with Shiho for a, as they put it, ‘Bride and Groom emergency opinion’. So that left her with Ryuji…at a restaurant…for dinner…on a date. While it technically wasn’t a date at the same time it was a date and that fact started to make Makoto anxious, while she was feeling a mixture of disappointment and frustration that her two friends had left, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy start to embrace her. She was out with the man she had a crush on, the man who had continued to run with her most mornings even when she had to cut them short due to her work schedule consistently changing. But throughout it all Ryuji understood and supported her, he always did, and she loved him for that. She was now filled with a determination to follow her heart after a bridal spa trip with her fellow bridesmaids.

The group had enjoyed a day of pampering and relaxation, massages, facial masks, manicures and pedicures and had finally reached the end of their day in the private hot springs.

“Thank you for inviting us today Ann, it’s been a wonderful time!” Haru couldn’t help but say with enthusiasm, Futaba nodded her head in agreeance and responded with the same enthusiasm.

“Yeah! I never knew that all this stuff could be so relaxing!”

Ann smiled at her friends, knowing that today not only meant a lot to them but to her as well.

“I’m glad you were all able to make it! You all mean so much to me and you’re helping me with my wedding, it’s the least I could do to say thank you to you all!”

Makoto, while smiling, couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty at how much her friend had spent on today and seemed to realise that Shiho could tell that something was bothering her.

“Something wrong Mako-chan?”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing Shiho, it just seems like Ann planed and spent a lot on today for us, I can’t help but feel a bit guilty.”

“Don’t worry about it, after knowing Ann for so long I know that she loves showing her friends how much she appreciates them, plus it could be likely that she’s buttering one of us up to ask for something.”

Almost, as if on que, after Shiho responded to Makoto, Ann moved over to her and started a conversation about a certain relationship that may or may not be brewing. Thankfully for Makoto Ann made sure to have their conversation slightly further from the others.

“So, Makoto, how are things with Ryuji going? You guys have been running together for a few weeks now? Have you kissed him again yet?” Ann couldn’t help but ask, wanting to know if two of her closest friends have followed their feelings for each other was just far too exciting to find out.

“W-what?! W-where did you hear about that?!” Makoto couldn’t help but be shocked at Ann’s bluntness not to mention the question of how she found out about it. The only response Ann gave her was a polite yet curious smile.

“Yes...I did kiss him” Makoto sighed speaking softly hoping not to make a larger scene “B-but only on his cheek! I wanted to tell him how I felt but I panicked and ran off and I haven’t had the courage to do it again.”

“You two are so cute you don’t even know how cute you are!” Makoto started to feel her face heat, cute wasn’t exactly the reaction she was expecting from Ann.

“It’s obvious you guys are into each other, but you don’t want to ruin anything, but you can’t help but love each other! Totally adorable!”

“L-love?! You think…you think he loves me?”

“Of course silly! Why else would he keep running with you? I mean yeah Ryuji loves to run but I’m fairly sure he’s not there for the running anymore, I think he’s there to see you.”

“M-me? W-why would he be there to see me? I-I’m just someone who offers to run with him most mornings, just a workout partner.” Makoto tried to downplay just how much the idea of being romantically involved with Ryuji meant to her, but Ann could tell that she was trying to think logically about the situation instead of listening to her heart.

“Just a workout partner, right? I think he’s your partner alright, but not your workout partner.” Ann couldn’t help but playfully sing her thought to Makoto, “I think you want him as a life partner.”

“L-life…life partner?! Isn’t that a little too soon?! I mean we haven’t gone on a date and we aren’t actually a couple and I’m not saying it would be a bad thing but right now isn’t it a little too early to think about that?!” Her heart and words racing Makoto quickly responded to Ann before taking a deep breath and respond calmly.

“I mean…I’d like to go on a date with him but right now…I just feel like I can’t ask him, and I don’t know if he’d even want to go out on a date with me so I’m not sure what to do.”

Makoto looked down at the water, her biggest fear about her situation laid out. The two had feelings for each other and deep down she knew it, but she just didn’t know how they could take that first step together. Ann looked at her friend, knowing that she felt these same fears years ago and knew just how intimidating taking the first major step towards a relationship could be. Suddenly an idea came to mind.

“Makoto, why don’t you and Ryuji come out to dinner with me and Ren next week?”

“As in…a double date?” She responded, leaning in and keeping her voice low so there was no potential of the others hearing the word date. “Isn’t it a bit too close to the wedding?”

“It’s fine! Besides, this way you two can still technically have a date together, you won’t have to worry about asking each other out!”

“Are you sure? I mean wouldn’t it seem suspicious that it would just be the four of us? Wouldn’t it make more sense if we had everyone else join us?”

“I’m sorry Mako-chan, but I’ll be unavailable for most of next week, Yusuke is helping me with the flowers for the wedding while I’m helping him on a project he’s working on.” Haru informed Makoto with a pleasant tone, while she had tried keeping her voice quiet, Makoto did forget that there were only five people currently in the spring and three of them had been suspiciously quiet for the last few minutes.

Makoto turned to see the faces of Haru, Futaba and Shiho all smiling at the scenario she had found her love life in. If the spring somehow opened Makoto would jump in and avoid this situation but knowing these three, they wouldn’t drop the topic so easily.

“You…you heard all that?”

“Yyyyyyyep! Every bit of it! Also, I can’t do anything dinner wise next week, I’m busy with some last-minute wedding stuff.” Futaba’s response had not only mortified Makoto but had also had the effect of giving Ann a few nerves after hearing about Futaba’s ‘wedding stuff’ for the first time.

“Futaba…what kind of ‘stuff’ are you preparing?” Knowing Futaba, Ann couldn’t be sure just what she was planning but she was hoping that there was a chance that she would let her know.

“Private hehehehe” Futaba’s trademark gremlin laugh didn’t help Ann’s nerves but pushing that to the side she could see that her friends were helping her support Makoto and were giving reasons as to why it wouldn’t be rude if it were just her, Ren, Ann and Ryuji at dinner.

“No need to ask Mako-chan, I won’t be able to make it either.”

“Really? What’s your reason Shiho?”

“Oh I don’t have one, I just really want to see you and Ryuji be a couple. You both seem so cute together!”

Seeing that her friends had taken themselves out of the equation to help the logical part of her brain reason why a double date would be fine if everyone else were busy Makoto took a deep breath and looked at Ann.

“Well then…I suppose next week it is.”

“Yayyyy! I’ll let Ren know so he can make the reservations and get Ryuji there! This will work out great Makoto, trust me!”

The next week Makoto arrived at the restaurant early until she saw the soon to be married couple arrive, with Ren wearing a black suit and shirt with a red tie and Ann wearing a stunning red strapless evening dress to match with her fiancé, around her neck was a heart necklace that Ren had given her years ago just before their heist of Sae’s palace. It was clear to see that these two were deep in love with each other and it was a love that Makoto hoped to obtain one day. She nervously waited for her date for the evening to arrive. She had gone shopping with Ann the day before and had picked out a blue zeta ponte dress hoping that it would catch the eye of a certain personal trainer.

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late!”

Upon hearing that voice yell out Makoto immediately knew who it belonged to. Turning around she couldn’t help but look at Ryuji with astonishment. What he wore was simple, but it seemed to fit him so well, it was a simple pair of black dress pants, a dark grey shirt, a yellow tie along with a black vest. She suddenly snapped back to attention hoping she didn’t miss anything that had been said but she suddenly found herself blushing as she realised that Ryuji had been looking at her with awe.

It didn’t take long for the four of them to go inside and order entrees and drinks, everything at that point was going amazingly, she had no nerves knowing that while this was technically a date there Makoto felt relaxed, the main benefit of this double date was none of the added pressure of it being one on one, she felt her confidence rising. Up until that point they had spent time talking about the upcoming wedding as well as careers and any new plans they had. Ren was finishing up his studies to become a counsellor while working at LeBlanc in the meantime, Ann was still modelling and had gotten quite popular to the point where many young girls saw her as a role model, especially after she was quoted mentioning having a ‘fairy tale relationship’. Makoto had just finished explaining that she was still working towards becoming the police commissioner but for now was working the more mundane jobs while having her dedication to her job tested through late night calls and superiors asking her to come in to review work. Just before Ryuji could share his news they were unfortunately interrupted by Ann, who has suspiciously received a text from Shiho requiring the couple to deal with a wedding emergency. Makoto had her suspicions about this, especially after she thought she heard Ren telling Ryuji something about a deep end but decided to let the couple leave out of the hope that she would be able to finally share her feelings in a one-on-one setting now that she was comfortable. And so, her double date had suddenly become her first official date with Ryuji.

As the two sat there with their drinks having just ordered their main meals Makoto decided to break the ice and try and reduce any tension that might be in the air.

“Ryuji, you never told me how your job is going?”

“Oh right! Sorry after Ren and Ann leaving I just kind of went blank there for a moment!” She could tell that he was slightly nervous with the tone of his voice and the fact that he was rubbing the back of his head, something she found he does whenever he’s feeling a bit awkward.

“So, work as a trainer is going well, but I found out that Shujin is actually looking for a new coach for the track team.”

“Really? You should apply, I’m sure you’d be an amazing track coach.” She didn’t even need to think of the response, it just came out because she knew she was right, Ryuji cared about his old track team and what they went through.

“Well…I actually did, and I got a pretty good recommendation from Kawakami.”

“Wait, Ryuji are you saying that you got the position?” Makoto started to smile and saw the blond smiling back at her full of pride.

“Yep! I’m still working as a personal trainer, but now I’m the head coach of the Shujin track team!”

“Congratulations Ryuji! This is amazing! You’ll be an incredible coach; I just know it!”

Ryuji smiled back at her, she could tell that he was starting to blush and looked as if there was a bit more to the story.

“Actually Makoto…I kind of have you to thank for this.”

“Me? Why would you need to thank me?”

“Well, you’ve been running with me most mornings and it’s helped me realise why I ran to being with. I enjoy pushing myself, I enjoy the challenge of whether or not I can be fast enough, and you showed me that by pushing me to be better every time.”

Makoto’s look of confusion washed away, instead it was replaced with happiness, not for herself but for someone she loved. She felt tears starting to well up.

“Oh hey, I mean I didn’t mean to upset you if I said something wrong! I just…I really wanted you to know how much you meant to me and how much you helped me go for this.” Ryuji said rapidly, as if he was trying to deescalate a situation.

“Ryuji, why would I be upset with you?”

“I mean…you’re starting to cry? I’ve probably said something that’s upset you or…” Makoto cut him off before he could continue.

“I’m starting to tear up because I’m so happy for you Ryuji! Everything you do is always to help someone else and now with your coach position you’ll be helping students who need someone to guide them the right way, and I can’t think of anyone better.” Makoto took a risk and reached out to grab Ryuji’s hand.

“I’m so proud of you right now, and I can’t even express how happy I am for you.”

Ryuji noticed that his hand was now being covered by Makoto’s. He felt heat rush to his face but for some reason he felt ok with it, like everything seemed to be going right and that he should take a risk of his own. Ryuji turned his hand over, so he was able to hold onto Makoto’s.

“Thanks Makoto. Out of everyone I had to tell, you were the one I was most excited to tell, I…I mean I…I’ve just really enjoyed our time together and just feel like everything is going great right now!”

“It does seem that way.” Makoto responded, feeling her own face start to redden after Ryuji held her hand. “With you now being the track coach, along with Ren and Ann’s wedding approaching it seems like there’s going to be a lot of changed for the good.

The unofficial couple enjoyed their main’s and decided to pay their check and leave, only to discover that the meals had already been paid for along with a note left for them.

_‘Sorry to have to dash, but we’ll make sure that there’s no interruptions next time. Hope you guys enjoyed your night either way! -Ann. P.S. Head above water Ryuji, you’ll be fine -Ren.’_

Makoto was confused at Ren’s message, why would Ryuji need to keep his head above water? She turned to ask him about it, only to realise that he already knew what she was going to say.

“Its uh…a bit of a long story…I’ll tell you later ok?” She could see that he was rubbing the back of his head, so she decided to let him relax and not push it.

The two decided to walk around before heading to their homes, as Ryuji put it ‘It’s a decent way to start burning calories’. They eventually came to a small gelato stand and decided to ignore that advice to instead enjoy something sweet together. After some time, they found their way outside of Shujin Academy, the school that shared many of their memories together, both the good and the bad.

“I still can’t believe that I’d end up coming back here, but it just feels right to help with track again.”

“I still can’t believe how we all met all those years ago!” Ryuji looked at Makoto, both of them starting to laugh at her statement.

“Yeah! I mean you used to be the uptight student president haha!”

“You’re one to talk haha! Or do you not remember all the edgy graphic shirts and delinquent slouch?”

“You got me there haha! But honestly, I’m really glad to have met you Makoto.”

“Thank you Ryuji, I feel the same away about you. About everyone, you all showed me how to start living a normal life…well as normal as the life of an aspiring commissioner can be.”

Makoto noticed that Ryuji was looking down, was something wrong? Why would he look at her?

“Ryuji? Are you okay?”

“Yeah…I mean no…I mean. I just really meant what I said Makoto, I’m really glad to have met you, you really mean a lot to me.” He wasn’t upset, he was nervous.

“Ryuji, you mean a lot to me too. The mornings I’ve spend running with you have been some of the most enjoyable times I’ve had.” Her had found his cheek, slowly she pushed his head up so they were able to look each other in the eye.

“No matter what happens Ryuji, I’ll always be there to help and support you, because I know that you’d do the same for me.”

“I just...you’ve helped me so much lately, you’ve helped me push myself, you helped me get back to the track team. Makoto…you helped me find my fire again.”

“Ryuji…” She could see just how much she meant to him, and that he was so grateful to her. She couldn’t help but feel her heart swell.

“I don’t even know how to thank you.”

“It’s okay, Ryuji. You don’t need to.” Makoto started to lean towards Ryuji and close her eyes, instinctively he began to do the same. Their lips met with a loving kiss, nothing frantic or overly passionate, just something loving between the two of them. Makoto felt her heartbeat increase, she felt like she was dreaming and that nothing could stop this amazing moment.

Unfortunately, at that time she heard the familiar sound of the ringtone she set for her work number. She pulled back disappointed that the moment she was sharing with Ryuji couldn’t last longer but she knew that her work would be testing her.

“I’m really sorry Ryuji, is it okay if I take this call?” She looked at him, still stunned over what just happened with the small curves of a smile starting on his face.

“Y-yeah, not a problem at all.” He responded with love struck smile on his face that caused Makoto to smile back at him.

After a quick call, Makoto informed Ryuji that she was being asked to come into the station so she could review some cases she was sorting.

“So, they’re doing this to test you?’ Ryuji asked concerned, as they walked together, while not holding hands they were still quite close.

“Yeah, it’s to see if I have the skill and determination to go through with this, Sae mentioned that something like this would probably happen. Ryuji, I’m sorry that I’m cutting this short. I just can’t help but feel guilty.”

She looked up at him and didn’t see disappointment, or sadness or frustration. Instead, she saw that same loveable face, with the same lovable smile giving her support.

“You don’t need to feel guilty about anything Makoto! You’re gonna show them that you’ve got this! Just like you showed me! Right?”

Makoto looked at him in surprise at just how understanding he could be before smiling back at him and responding enthusiastically.

“Right! I’ll see you around Ryuji.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you Makoto. Good luck with tonight!” Ryuji started to turn and walk away before he heard his name called and saw the brunette rush towards him embracing him in a hug, after a second he put his arms around her and embraced her back.

“I really enjoyed tonight Ryuji, I just wanted to say thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me Makoto, I should be thanking you. Now get out there and show them that you’re gonna be the comish no matter what!”

They let go of their embrace at they started to walk the opposite ways. Eventually Ryuji made it back to his apartment and collapsed on his bed. Still feeling the rush of kissing the woman he couldn't help but love he put his hand to his lips and started to smile, still feeling her lips embrace upon his, he began to shut his eyes.

Until he jolted upright and spoke out loud to himself.

“SHIT! I DIDN’T ASK IF SHE WANTED TO DATE! UGH! STUPID RYUJI! STUPID!”

While everything went right, he still forgot an important part but knew that he would be ready next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that took a while to write, what with motivation coming and going, trying to platinum vanilla Persona 5 before Strikers and well...Strikers. I'm happy to see this chapter finally make it. I think there's only going to be 1 or 2 more chapters so don't worry, the two love struck idiots will officially get together soon.  
> Funnily enough I was originally going to have Makoto's phone call interupt them before the kiss but I figured I could work a little better in the next chapter now that they've actually done that.  
> Ann's dress: https://skivaclothing.com/products/strapless-evening-dress-red  
> Makoto's dress: https://www.bodenclothing.com.au/en-au/zeta-ponte-dress-blue-decadence/sty-j0681-dbl?gclid=Cj0KCQiAst2BBhDJARIsAGo2ldU3pzV7Ec7gSfZh-4h9n8j88XHQDUnzIC_mEyN2ccl_2r2qJmLMivIaApkQEALw_wcB&cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google-_-Shopping-_-Product&istCompanyId=5c9d8420-ebd1-4cd2-993a-5efe6666c9c1&istFeedId=5155b14d-a0df-4de7-a2d4-cb64b6c6e667&istItemId=irmiiqaqt&istBid=tztx&ef_id=Cj0KCQiAst2BBhDJARIsAGo2ldU3pzV7Ec7gSfZh-4h9n8j88XHQDUnzIC_mEyN2ccl_2r2qJmLMivIaApkQEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!8577!10!335401269067!!!g!836930382938!&cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google1719564136-_-73058628928-_-40225279

**Author's Note:**

> Well that's the first fanfic I've ever written, please give me any feedback on spacing writing, and layout. I want to get better at this and constructive criticism is always welcome. Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this.


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